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Sunday, 28 January 2018

Dipping Into Nature

I am very glad to be a part of this group. Participating in the themes and challenges will spur me to try new subject matters, materials, and techniques.

But what a huge theme to start with -- Nature! So many ideas are swirling in my head -- how to pick just one?

When choosing from among a wealth of possibilities, here are three tips that work for me:

1) Start from where you are.

I am very fortunate that, after decades living in cities and suburbs, I
get to divide my time between two very different rural properties.
(Texas is more or less divided in half, with the eastern half being
green and humid, and the western half being tawny and arid.) I have spent a lot of time over the last eight years, trying to learn and document all the species that live in these two places.

East Texas farm in November.

Central Texas ranchita in November.

And when I am in more urban settings, I still notice touches of nature that managed to survive and thrive, and I take pictures of those too. So for this project, I will start with an image I already have, and some techniques I already have experience with.

But that still gives me so much material to choose from. Capturing the ideas on paper in quick collages and sketches clarifies my thinking -- it's like each idea is happy to be noticed, and it stops chattering, "Pick me! Pick me!"

(For years I have told myself I would start an art journal, and this group has provided the impetus to finally do that. So that is already source of satisfaction!)

But that leads me to my next point -- 2) Do not go overboard in researching a direction. For me, this is not the time to seek out and study dedicated artists. Even at the art journal stage, lots of people produce phenomenal, finished work that overwhelms me and makes me think I should give up now. I avoid looking at a lot of websites and look more intently at the subject I am working on.

3) Small strokes. As in canoeing or kayaking, small strokes can help you progress. I realize that this is not going to be the Great American Quilt on Nature, or even (I hope) my own Ultimate Nature Object. This is just one step. Maybe some day these small strokes will bring me into the rushing rapids of creativity, and I will develop a recognizable style, but if not, at least my own thinking should become more creative.

My project this time is going to be very low-key, but I am enjoying the time spent on thinking of possibilities, and on enriching my work habits!

10 comments:

It must be very interesting to have two such different landscapes to explore. I like your art journal collages. I am very bad at documenting but I think it will be fascinating to look back on and you are certainly inspiring me to to make more efforts in that direction. I'm looking forward to seeing your quilt. Thank you for sharing your creative tips :)

I like what you wrote. The tips are the best. I still have not started an art journal. I have purchased journals, but they sit blank on my shelf. Perhaps, I will begin with small steps, and journal something each day. I'm not sure if there is a proper way or not, but mine would be mostly drawing, geometry, and colored pencils. Looking forward to the reveal.

I had such a hard time starting with an art journal too. I always felt like I should have something important to put down. Two things really helped me -- one is from the book No Excuses Art Journaling by Gina Rossi Armfield. She has you start with a calendar book or planner and just put a small drawing or symbol in each little box on the page, and that got me going.The other thing was, I was tired of not having anyone to discuss art with or practice with, and I decided to just make my art journal into my Art Pal, just a place to play. :)

Thanks for a great article - like Fiona I love to see the world from my armchair so to see your two different views of Texas is fascinating - I love that big sky! It was interesting to read about your process too and about your new journal - I only rarely document my ideas and keep them all in my head in a disorganised way and I think I might try following your example.

This is an interesting post with good directional tips. I have sewn for years, but never anything expressive in the art direction except for bead embroidery. I did start a journal for this group which is my first ever. I have to admit it helped me with planning and decisions I needed to make on the process.

Great post! I don’t write a journal but a couple of years ago I used to draw pictures of what I was making, just for a quick record .... I seem to have given up (unintentionally) since I started blogging so it’s been nice to do some sketching for this project!Look forward to seeing your reveal.